The Ghosts of SAO
by SuperEpicPandas
Summary: After Yuri finds a room full of NerveGear consoles and SAO discs, she sends a team of six SSS members into the game to investigate it. The 6 players soon earn the name "Ghosts of SAO" after finding out that they can't die. Join them as they try to use this link between life and death to find the secrets of the Afterlife, while trying to clear the game in the process!
1. Was this here before?

**Author's Note: **I'm a slow poster, so don't expect a new chapter very often! Even so, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! At least, only do so if you are physically able to (e.g. having functioning appendages)

**Pilot**

**Otonashi's POV:**

_Man, yesterday was eventful. Well, ever since I joined them, I guess every day has been eventful._

Everything is peaceful as I make my way through the hallways of the school, the only sound being the steady beat of my shoes on the floor. _Tap. Tap. Tap._

I walk down the stairs and am greeted by the same vending machine that I visit almost every day. It's the closest one to HQ, not to mention that it has Key Coffee. I insert 400 yen and press the button for Key Coffee. The coil that's keeping the cans from falling twists, and soon a single aluminum container falls from its grip into the retrieval pouch below. I reach in and take it out.

As I open a can of Key Coffee from the vending machine, the intercom flares up. "Message to all SSS upperclassmen: report to the Anti-Angel Strategy Headquarters immediately. I repeat: All SSS upperclassmen report to the Anti-Angel Strategy Headquarters immediately. That is all." The voice says. _I've never seen you use the intercom before, Yuri. What's important enough that you needed to use that?_

* * *

**Yuri's POV:**

Earlier That Day:

_How are we supposed to execute Operation Tornado with Iwasawa gone? I guess the only thing to do would be to replace her._

I ponder that thought as I go for a walk through the school to clear my mind from the events that happened yesterday. I've needed to do this a lot ever since I came to the afterlife, but lately I've opted for simply resting in the Headquarters. Today seemed like a good time to revisit old habits.

I'm not just aimlessly wandering throughout the school, mind you. I've taken this route often enough to remember everything these hallways have to offer.

In order to keep my mind from _completely_ going blank, I try to remember what rooms I'll encounter on my walk._ Here are the 2nd year classrooms 2-A through 2-D. After this, there should be a roomless hallway used solely for transportation. After that should be the rest of the 2nd year classrooms of 2-E through 2-H._

My memory is correct for the most part. I pass by the first set of 2nd year classrooms and begin making my way through the empty hallway.

_What's this?_ In the once-roomless hallway, on the right is a door. It doesn't seem any different from the other doors in this school, but the fact that it wasn't here before is what makes it strange. Above the door is a sign that reads "NerveGear Storage."

_Was this room here before? Better yet, what's NerveGear? I better check it out._ I turn the doorknob and push the door open, although it does take some effort. Inside the room are plenty of boxes. However, something tells me that these aren't just any boxes. After all, they appear to be the kinds of boxes that have gaming consoles in them.

I take a closer look at one of these boxes. The side reads in bold lettering:

**Introducing:**

**THE FUTURE OF GAMING!**  


**This brand-new NerveGear will ensure that your**

**gaming experiences will be more immersive and**

**exciting than ever before!**

Next to this caption is a picture of some sort of helmet that you would see in a cheesy Sci-Fi movie. _This is the NerveGear? I don't think that anything like this existed when I was alive. _I take out my walkie and turn it to the same frequency that Takeyama has. Or at least, the same frequency that I told Takeyama to turn to.

"Takeyama, are you there?" I say. After a moment, I hear his voice on the other end.

"Yes, I'm here. However, could you please call me Chri-" He replies before I cut him off.

"Do you know what the NerveGear is?" I ask.

"Nervegear? Yes, it's a new gaming console that came out shortly before I died. However, there were very few games for it at the time. Why do you ask?"

_That's right. Takeyama is the newest member of the SSS, having arrived here the other day. I kind of felt bad to throw him into last night's Operation Tornado so soon after his arrival, but we needed someone with his expertise._ "Well, could you please report to B-Wing, in that empty hallway between the 2nd year's classrooms? There's something I need to show you."

"I got it. I'm on my way."

After waiting next to the storage room for roughly ten minutes, I hear his voice to my left. "Yuri, I'm here." Takeyama says.

"I see that. Come here, there's something I need to show you." I tell him. He approaches, noticing the storage room which we both know wasn't hear earlier.

"Is this the 'something' in question?" He asks.

"Sorta. Look inside." I order him. After a few attempts, he pushes the door in. "Do these boxes seem familiar?"

"NerveGears..." He whispers in shock. "How did these get here?"

"That's what I want to know."

"Wait, what's that?" Takeyama asks, pointing at a pile of disc cases in the corner.

I walk over and examine them. "Sword Art Online?"

"Sword Art Online? I believe that it was an MMORPG that was going to come out in July of 2023. It was supposed to be the first big game for the NerveGear."

_2025? If I came here in 2010, then I've been here for 13 years. I can hardly believe that our war has continued for this long._ "Our next big operation is going to begin next week, so I guess this could be a good way for the SSS members to pass the time."

"Wait, Yuri, do you actually _know_ what an MMORPG is?" Takeyama asks.

_I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to games when I was alive._ "Not really, why?"

"It's a genre of gaming. More importantly, it requires internet connection. Even if we _do_ get into the game, I doubt that we'll be able to effectively play it."

"I see. Even so, we'll see if any upperclassmen are willing to give it a try." I decide.

"Are we done here?" Takeyama asks.

"_You_ are done. I'm going to take one of these to the HQ." I tell him.

"Alright. If you'll excuse me, I have things to do." Takeyama says, then walks away in the same direction that he arrived.

As he leaves, I take a closer look at the Sword Art Online case. Under "Special Features", something catches my eye:

_Thanks to the generosity of Argus, SAO now_

_ comes with its own special WiFi connection_

_ separate from your original internet service!_

* * *

**Otonashi's POV:**

Later that day:

_Knock, Knock._ I tap the door to the Principal's Office, which has become the SSS's Strategy Headquarters.

"What's the password?" A voice asks from the inside.

"There is no God, Buddha, or Angel." I reply.

"Ugh, Otonashi. Alright, come in." The voice says. _I don't think Noda will ever like me. If that's the case, the feeling's mutual. _

I push the door in and enter, only to find that I'm the last one to arrive. Everybody is already here. "You're late." Yuri says from her chair.

"How shallow-minded" Shiina says.

"Uh... Yeah. Anyways, what's so important that you had to use the intercom?" I ask, taking a seat on the couch between Hinata and Takeyama.

"This." Yuri says, pulling out a box from under her desk. "_This_ is the NerveGear. Do any of you recognize this?"

_Can't say I do. All my memories are gone, after all._

After a moment of establishing that nobody knows what this is, Takeyama puts his laptop on the table and walks over next to Yuri's desk. He points to the box and begins speaking.

"This, as you know, is the NerveGear. It's a new form of gaming device that promises more immersive gaming. The only reason _I_ know about this is because it's currently 2023 in the real world. Most have you have been here for up to thirteen years, with the exception of me and Otonashi." he explains.

"I can't believe you guys have been here this long." I comment.

"I've actually kept track of my days here. Today is day 2,291 for me. That's approximately six years and 101 days." Takamatsu says. _When he talks like that, I wonder if what Yuri about his stupidity is actually true._

"Anyways, why's a video game so important to us, Yurippe?" Matsushita asks.

"I'd like to know that too." Noda says.

"First of all, it was found in a storage room which appeared out of nowhere. Second of all, the Afterlife has been around longer than the Nervegear has been in existence. This raises plenty of questions without answers."

"Yeah, now that you think of it, it just doesn't quite make sense, does it?" Takamatsu says. "But the way I see it, there are few ways to actually _find _these answers."

"Exactly. First, we will have some volunteers try on the NerveGear and see how it works. Next, we'll try to see what Angel knows about this. If it was God that gave it to us, I want to know why."

"I'll volunteer for it." Hinata says. "What could be the harm in it?" Hinata tugs at my sleeve, whispering, "C'mon man, let's do it!"

"Alright, alright!" I whisper back to him, standing up. "I'll do it too."

"I'm curious to see what this is, so I'll try it." Fujimaki says.

"I'll do it too!" Ooyama exclaims.

"No better way to waste time than playing video games, I guess. I'm in." Noda says.

"I'll do it." Shiina says brusquely.

"Alright, six people is enough. Matsushita and Fujimaki, come with me. We only have one Nervegear, so I'll need you two to carry the other four over here." Yuri orders.

* * *

"If this is my dorm room, why haven't I been here yet?" I ask myself as I enter my surprisingly cozy-looking dorm room. It could be the wooden drawers or the wooden bunk beds on the right, but this place feels like home.

"It's because you've been so caught up in our operations, you probably never got the chance." Fujimaki says.

_Why am I roommates with him again?_ "Uh, yeah. Anyways, let's just set these up." The manual told us that it would be best to use it lying down, so Yuri said that we start "investigating" it in our dorm rooms. I just feel like I'm about to play a video game.

The both of us follow the instructions given to us separate from the manual:

1. Plug the NerveGear's Power Cube (1) into the nearest outlet using Wire A (2)

2. Use Wire B (3) to connect the NerveGear (4) to the Power Cube (1). Note that Wire B can be plugged in both ways.

3. Add the Extension Cord (5) if needed.

4. Put your NerveGear (4) on your head and tighten the chinstrap (6).

5. Press the Power Button (7) on the Power Cube

5. Lay down with your face pointing towards the ceiling. Press the power button (8) near your right ear and listen to the instructions given to you.

We follow these steps until the both of us get to step 5. A slightly-robotic female voice begins speaking once we press the power button.

A red sillhouette of a person is displayed in the NerveGear's glass interface in front of me, although I can still easily see my current surroundings.

"Thank you for purchasing the NerveGear," it says. "In order to continue, please touch your body all over until the red figure in front of you is completely blue. You do not need to touch your face. Know that you are free to stand up and move around as long as you do not disconnect the NerveGear from the Power Cube."

Unsure of the instructions given to me, I sit up look up at Fujimaki on the top bunk. He appears to be following the NerveGear's instructions without hesitation.

_Well, I guess there's no harm in it._ I proceed to rub my legs, and I notice that the sillhouette's legs are turning blue where I'm rubbing them. _I feel like I'm giving myself a massage._

After the sillhouette becomes completely blue, it disappears and the robotic female voice resumes speaking. "Please insert a game into the Power Cube, then lay back down with your face up."

I look over to Fujimaki, who has climbed down from his bunk bed and was inserting his Sword Art Online disc into his Power Cube next to mine. "Hey, Fujimaki, can you hand me my Sword Art Online disc?" I ask.

"No worries, I'll just insert it for you. Just let me insert my own disc first." He replies. _He seems so much more focused than during our operations._

"Uh, thanks." _He also seems a lot nicer. I wonder what's up with him._

Once he inserts both of our discs, he climbs back up to his bunk bed and lays down. As he does so, text appears on the NerveGear's glass interface.

Now downloading:

Sword Art Online/ソードアート·オンライン

10%

It takes roughly a minute for it to reach 100%. As soon as it finishes, the whole glass interface goes blank with the exception of the time of day in the top left corner and the battery power on the top right.

_When I read the manual earlier, it said that in order to activate the game, the NerveGear will need a voice command. What was it again? Oh, right. I remember now._

**"LINK START!****"**

* * *

**Man, this surprisingly didn't take long! Even so, getting the next chapter up probably will! If you visit my profile, you'll find that I'm actually working on about four other fanfics at the same time. Unwise, but hey, I got bored. Even so, there's no harm in Following, Favoriting, or Reviewing!**

-**Regards and all that, SEP.**


	2. Connections

**Author's Note: **Slow poster? I probably will be after this chapter! I just have a decent-enough grasp on the plot that I'll be able to write this without a hitch... sorta. In any case, never forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!

**Connections Made**

**"LINK START!"**

My vision becomes completely filled with this strange sight that looks like I'm flying through a tube made out of cylinders of all the colors of the rainbow. The backround, which was once my dormroom, is replaced by white.

Soon after, I lose all feeling in my body and can no longer hear anything from the outside world (or perhaps, outside Afterlife). I can still breath out my nose, but can't smell the scent of fresh oak wood that I had been able to earlier. The aftertaste of the Beef Udon I had for lunch earlier vanishes as well.

Once I exit this Rainbow Cylinder Wormhole (or whatever one might call it), I am shown two blue circles, followed by three more:

1. Touch - OK  
2. Sight - OK  
3. Hearing - OK  
4. Taste - OK  
5. Scent - OK

Once all these blue circles turn green, they move to the right of my vision and line up like a pillar. They then leave my sight and are replaced by two blue roundish boxes, either of them saying:

(Language) (Japanese)

_Am I supposed to press "OK" somewhere or something? Or do I have to think the word "Accept"? What if I say it?_ I try to say the word "Accept", but instead of actual words coming out of my mouth, the (Japanese) 'button' blinks as if I pressed it. The two boxes disappear, and a larger blue box with a single line of text replaces it:

**Would you like to set up a new account?**

[Yes] [No]

_New Account? Alright then..._ I say "Yes". Once again, however, nothing comes out of my mouth. Instead, the [Yes] button flashes as if I clicked on it. This blue box disappears and _another_ blue box replaces it. _Oh my god, this is taking longer than I thought._

**Sign Up:**

Username:  
Password:  
Confirm Password:  
Email Address (Optional):

**When finished, say "Finished"**

_Good thing the email address is optional. I wonder what I should name myself._ After a bit of pondering, I simply decide to call it my normal name: Otonashi. I also make my password "afterlife174" and leave the email section blank. Once I'm done, I say "finished" and the box (once again) disappears and is (once again) replaced by another blue box.

**Login:**

Name:  
Password:

_Hopefully this is the last goddamn blue box I have to ever come in contact with._ I enter my login information and say "Ok", my voice not even leaving my mouth once again and instead sending a command to the NerveGear. The Login box disappears and, much to my annoyance, _another_ blue box appears.

(Character Registration)

You do not have a character for Sword Art Online.

Would you like to create one?

[Yes] [No]

_Motherfucker._ I say [Yes] and name my character "Otonashi". _I just want to get into the game and see if it works. Takeyama said that there's no guarentee it'll work, so I have yet to see if it does. I just want to get all this registration and character creation stuff all done and over with. I honestly don't feel like getting creative with names._

As soon as I say [Finish], my vision goes black. It stays like this for a few moments, as I find it impossible to open my eyes. Soon, however, I am able to open my eyes. The sight before me is stunning. I'm no longer in the dormroom or the white screen with many blue boxes. I'm in what appears to be the center of town in a town that seems to have been built by Ancient Romans. Surrounding me are hundreds of other people who appear after a blue light shines in their area._ Are these people NPCs?_

"Is that you, Otonashi?" A familiar voice calls from behind me. I turn my head to face the owner of the voice.

"Woah, um, Hinata? You look almost nothing like your real self." I reply. Indeed, his face and long hair make him seem like some kind of wise warrior, despite his basic-looking armor. The only similarity to his actual self would be his hair color, which retains its original Navy Blue.

"Yeah, I noticed that. You look different too." He says.

"Well, this _is_ a video game."

"Yeah. You think these people are NPCs?"

"I don't know. Wanna go check?" I ask.

"Sure. We'll look for Shiina and the others later." He replies. The both of us look for someone who doesn't seem to be doing anything and, after finding one, approach them. _It's a good question indeed. Are these people NPCs? There's only one way to check, and that's by asking them about this world. I'm fairly certain that if they are NPCs, they'll act like this is the real world._

"Hey, you!" Hinata calls out to a player who's sitting cross-legged in front of a building once we get close enough to him.

"Yeah?" The player replies.

"I'm Hinata, and this is my friend Otonashi. We would just like to ask you a few things about this world."

"You mean, you guys bought the game and don't know what it is? This is Sword Art Online, a game of REVOLUTIONARY PROPORTIONS!" The person throws his arms in the air to emphasize his point. "What, did you guys buy this game because you thought it was popular?" He asks.

I look at Hinata, and he looks back at me. We exchange a brief silent conversation before replying.

_"Say yes?"  
_

_"That sounds like a plan."_

"Yeah. Our friends at school were talking about how awesome this game was going to be, so we just thought that we'd buy it, y'know?" I explain, putting my hand behind my neck and wearing an awkward expression.

"Really? Wow, you're lucky! Some of us waited days in line to get the game," The player tells us. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Kuro."

"Alright. Can I ask you something, Kuro?" I request

"Sure, fire away."

"Do you believe in ghosts or the afterlife?" I ask.

"That's a random question," Kuro says. "But yeah, I think there's something like that. But... I can't quite shake the feeling that it's closer than most of us think, y'know?"

Hinata and I look at each other, once again having a brief silent conversation.

_"There's something strange about this guy."_

_"You have that feeling too?"_

_"Should we bring him with us?"_

_"I don't know. He could be a burden."_

_"Yeah, I guess so. Nevermind that, then."_

"Alright. Thanks for the info, Kuro! We'll see you around!" Hinata waves at Kuro as we leave in search of the other SSS members.

"You know what this means, right?" I ask Hinata.

"Yeah... I think I do. These people are_ living_ people, playing the same game as us. This game... This game is a link between the real world and the afterlife." Hinata concludes.

"Yuri will want to hear about this."

* * *

**"COME HERE YOU PIG BASTARD!" **Fujimaki cries out as a boar charges him. It gets close, but before it could attack, Fujimaki activates a sword skill and slices right through it. Its health drops to zero and explodes in a mass of bluish chrome squares, which dissipates soon after. "HAHA! These skills are just like the techniques I was taught to use for my shirasaya!" He exclaims before rushing off into the field to battle more boars.

Meanwhile, Hinata and I struggle to perfect the most basic of sword skills. I take my shortsword and point it at a boar which hasn't noticed me.

"Hold it above your shoulder and point it directly at your target..." I mutter to myself, repeating the words from the beta testers' guidebook. "Goddamnit, why isn't it working!?"

"I know right? They make this game almost impossible!" Hinata complains, narrowly avoiding an attack from a boar.

"Hey! You guys!" A voice calls from the distance. I look in the direction of the voice, and see two players, one of them waving at us. Hinata, however, is far too focused on not having the boar take his health down any farther. "Need any help?" One of the players asks, both of them approaching us.

"Uh... Yeah." I say with an awkward expression. _We probably look so stupid right now._

"Alright. There's plenty of boars here, so I'm going to show you guys how it works. By the way, I'm Kirito, and this is Klein." The player with long black hair tells me.

"Hiya. Kirito here showed me the ropes, so now _I'll_ show _you_ the ropes." The pink-haired player with a red headband says.

"Yeah, yeah, that's REAL NICE of you, so could you PLEASE start with this one!?" Hinata pleads from behind me, still struggling to keep the boar from hitting him. He doesn't seem to be doing very well, as his health has become a dark orange.

"Alright, then!" Kirito begins explaining. "It's very simple: Hold your sword in the position that the instructions told you. You read those, right?"

"Eh... hehe..." I try to find an excuse as to why I _didn't _read a game I knew little about before playing it.

Kirito sighs. "Alright then, just copy my position. The instructions given to you in the beta testers' guidebook isn't all that trustworthy." He then proceeds to wind his right arm up, pointing the sword in the direction of the boar that's attacking Hinata. His sword's blade begins to glow a bright green. "Then... Just... Let it EXPLODE!" he exclaims. Suddenly, his body is thrust forward towards the boar, slicing through it and leaving a red mark where his sword had made contact. It explodes into chrome squares and yields a boar's leg. "You get it?" He asks.

"Let's see..." I mutter. Spotting a boar which had recently spawned, I target it and try my best to copy Kirito's position. My sword, instead of becoming bright green, begins to glow a bright orange.

"That's good!" Kirito remarks.

I think back to the recoil that the Glock Yuri gave to me, and how the gunpowder with each bullet exploded, causing the the gun to fly up. _This time... I'm the gun. Let it explode... Let it explode... Let... It..._

"EXPLODE!" I exclaim. My body flies towards the boar as if a great wind came from behind me. I feel my sword come into contact with the boar and slice through it. In that one hit, the boar's health drops from 10 to 0. It _poof_'s and yields another boar's leg.

"Good job!" Kirito complements. "I wonder how Klein and your buddy are doing." The two of us look over to Klein and Hinata, the latter seeming to be faring much better than he was before, having already cut through a few boars already without collecting their drops.

"You guys doing okay?" Kirito asks.

"Yeah, we seem to be doing fine." Klein says.

"Hell - YEAH!" Hinata cries out, slicing through another boar. "I can see why Fujimaki was having so much fun."

"Fujimaki? Is that one of your friends?" Klein asks.

"Yeah, there are actually a few others that we haven't met up with yet. Fujimaki ran off somewhere killing boars." I explain.

"I see. Should you guys go looking for them?" Kirito asks.

"Yeah, we probably should." Hinata says.

"Hey, before you go, can I add you to my friend's list? We might be able to meet up again in the future." Kirito proposes.

I exchange another brief silent conversation with Hinata.

_"Should we?"_

_"What's the harm in it?"_

"Alright!" I look around my field of vision for some sort of 'menu' button, only to find none. "Erm.. How do you pull up the menu again?"

"Just swipe your hand down like this." Kirito makes a hand gesture similar to that of a martial artist chopping through wood, except much more lazily. Once he does so, six grey squares appear in front of him, each with its own icon on it. The black-haired player taps his fingers on the third icon from the bottom, which has a symbol of a word bubble from a manga on it. This causes another three grey circles to appear next to the initial five: One with a shield on it, another with a heart on it, and the last with three dark grey silhouettes on it. _One for friends, another for factions or guilds or something like that, and the other one for... love? _

Kirito taps the button with the three silhouettes, which, in turn, opens up two more buttons: One with a plus sign on it and another with a minus sign. Kirito clicks the former, which makes a keyboard open up in front of him with a blank rectangle above it. He types in "Otonashi" and presses "Enter". Soon after, I get a text box in front of me.

[Kirito] wants to be your friend.

Accept?

(X) (O)

Assuming that (X) means yes, I tap that with my fingers.

[Kirito] is now your friend.

[Close]

I repeat this process with Klein, as well as Hinata. After that, the four of us bid farewell to each other as we go our separate ways.

"We gotta thank them for helping us there. Otherwise, we would've died." I tell Hinata as we walk back towards the starter town.

"Yeah, but it's not like we're unfamiliar with it. Anyways, let's go find Shiina and the others." Hinata replies.

"Yeah, don't remind me about that..."

* * *

Eventually, we find Shiina and Noda together in another monster-hunting area, the both of them having no problem using the sword skills. Noda, it seems, had ended up spending all his money on a low-level halberd.

As the virtual sun begins to set in this virtual world, the four of us decide to give up on our search and head back to town.

"I wonder where Ooyama and Fujimaki ran off to." Hinata wonders.

"The two of them probably found each other and are doing some weird bromance stuff together." Noda replies.

"I.. don't really think they're _that_ close. They seem to be nothing more than good friends to me." I tell my companions. "In any case, we should probably head back and give our report. These people are alive, and Yuri will probably want to hear this."

"Wait, these people _aren't _NPCs?!" Noda exclaims.

"You mean you didn't notice? Everybody here is fully aware that this is a game. Otonashi and I talked to one of them, and he even believed that the Afterlife existed. You don't find those kinds of traits in NPCs." Hinata explains.

"Alright, alright, you proved me wrong, so can we just get out of here?" Noda says brusquely, opening up the menu with the his left hand. He taps the settings icon on the bottom, which has an icon of a gear, and scrolls down to the icon resembling an arrow pointing to an open door.

"Huh? What the hell?" Noda asks.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"This should be the exit button, right? Why can't I click this?" Noda complains.

I open my menu, and find what should be the exit button. Indeed, where the text next to it should say something along the lines of "Exit", there is nothing. Tapping on the would-be exit button does absolutely nothing.

Suddenly, the four of us are engulfed in blue light. It's slightly painful, but I've experienced much worse from the events in the Afterlife.

* * *

When the blue light dissipates, we find ourselves in the center of the starter town. Judging by the amount of people in the vicinity, I assume that everyone else has as well.

Looking around, I spot Kuro as well as Kirito and Klein. The three of them as well as the rest of the people here have a look of surprise and shock, and for good reason.

As the four of us attempt to grasp our situation, a familiar voice calls from among the crowd. "Hey! There you guys are!"

All of us look in the direction of the voice almost simultaneously, as the gruff, straightforward manner of said voice is easily placeable.

"The two of us were looking all over for you!" Another just-as-recognizable yet entirely different voice calls from the same direction. Contrary to the former husky voice, this one could very well remind you of sheep or other harmless animal.

Despite the four of us being able to easily able to easily identify these two as Fujimaki and Ooyama, they seem to be lost in the crowd. _But they can see us, right? Why can't we see them?_

"Hey, move it! Coming through! God - fucking - just MOVE!" Fujimaki's voice yells from in the distance. I look in its direction, only to find that a bunch of people seem to be getting shoved to the side. I can't see who, exactly, _is_ pushing them, but I can definitely guess.

The path of people-shoving get's closer and closer to us, and we begin to hear another voice. "Sorry! We have friends over there! My apologies!" _Ooyama, I really don't think that you're helping all that much._

Eventually, the two of them push their way through to the four of us.

"Where were you guys?" I ask almost immediately.

"Fujimaki, you left us to die in the fields! Do you realize the hell you put us through!?" Hinata exclaims, exaggerating the fact.

"It's not my fault that you guys couldn't grasp the sword skill techniques. Anyways, why the hell are we here?" Fujimaki asks, changing the subject and dodging my question.

Before any of us could try to voice our theories, the sky is filled with ominous red hexagons. Blood pours from in between the shapes in the area directly above the center of town. The blood suspends itself in midair, congregating into a mass that vaguely resembles a cradle. _A cradle from hell,_ I thought.

The mass of blood eventually forms what looks like a hooded figure, despite this person being twelve times larger and floating thirty meters above the rest of us. Where, inside this person's cloak, there _should_ be human features, is nothing but pitch black. It's as if this person is a physical manifestation of everything dark and malevolent.

Soon after the blood stops pouring in order to form this figure, it begins speaking in a deep, booming voice.

"Attention players! I welcome you to my world!" The hooded figure says. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, _I_ am in control of this world!"

"Oh, so this must be the chucklehead that made this game." Noda deduces.

The hooded figure continues speaking, despite murmurs among the crowd. "I'm sure that most of you have already noticed an option missing from your main menus: The Logout Button." The figure swipes his left hand down, revealing that he, too, has a main menu. "Let me assure you that this is _not_ a defect in the game. I repeat: This is _not_ a defect. This is how Sword Art Online is designed to be."

"Well... Shit." Hinata says bluntly.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and nobody from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life." Kayaba explains

The six of us exchange looks.

_"We're already dead, though, right?"_

_"Yeah. We're used to this kind of thing."_

_"So what'll happen if we die ingame?"_

_"I guess we'll get kicked out of SAO."_

_"This man is shallow-minded."_

Looking around, I notice that many people have begun to panic. "This guy's bullshitting." Noda says.

"No, I don't think he is." Fujimaki contradicts. "I may not look it, but aside from knowing Kendo, my family was full of engineers and technicians. If it's microwave transmitters we're talking about, I'm pretty sure that if it was powerful enough, the microwave signals could be deadly."

"I never knew you were a smart guy." Hinata says.

"I know. If I acted all smart in the Afterlife, I could be at risk of obliteration. Honestly, I think Takamatsu is an idiot for acting all smarty-pants." Fujimaki explains.

Kayaba continues speaking. "Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear. An unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad _and_ the real world."

"I wonder if any of them will show up in the Afterlife." I wonder.

As Kayaba still continues his speech, squares revolve around him, each of them looking different from the others. _Internet websites, maybe?_ I think to myself. "As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important to remember the following: it's impossible to revive someone in the game. If your HP drops to 0, your avatar will be deleted from the system _forever,_ and the NerveGear will will simultaneously destroy your brain."

Those who have begun to panic have stopped. Everyone just looks at Akihiko Kayaba in shock. "There is only one way for a player to escape now. You must clear the game! Right now, you're on Floor One: The lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance through the first floor. Defeat the boss at floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"Clear the game? I thought MMORPGs weren't supposed to have a finite ending..." Hinata says.

"There's something about Akihiko Kayaba... If he wanted to kill us all, he would've done so. Instead, he's giving us a chance to escape. Is this all some sort of game to him?" I ask, not really expecting an answer.

"Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look." Kayaba requests.

Everybody opens their menu, including the six of us. I tap the "My Player" button, then press the "items" button. Among the boars' legs that I have, there is one other item.

"Mirror"

I tap on this, and a small handheld mirror appears in my hand. Only now do I realize that I look entirely different than I do in real life. I almost resemble a samurai, with my long hair being tied up in a ponytail and my face resembling as such.

Suddenly, a blue light engulfs Ooyama. Then Fujimaki, then Shiina. Soon, everybody in the center of town is covered in this light, including me. I feel my body begin to change, the given sensation actually being quite painful.

When the blue light subsides, everybody around me looks different. I look over to Hinata and, to my surprise, he looks like he does in real life.

"What the hell!?" Noda exclaims, who had also reverted back to his normal look. Everybody, including Shiina, Ooyama, and Fujimaki, looks like they do in real life. Or, at least, I assume that everybody else other than the SSS members looks like this in real life.

I look down at the mirror. Indeed, I am no different. My short orange hair had returned, and I feel surprisingly relieved at that.

"How the hell was he able to do this!?" Ooyama asks, clearly on the verge of panicking.

"Didn't the NerveGear ask you to touch your body all over before playing? I think that's how they were able to do this." I explain.

"Quiet, he's about to speak again." Hinata warns us.

"As of right now, you're probably wondering, 'Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and Nervegear, do this?' Ultimately, my goal was a simple one: The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I've achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the end of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." Kayaba's hooded body dissipates, his cloak and gloves falling to the ground but disintegrating before it actually makes contact with it. The blood that initially poured from the red hexagonal sky now flows back up to where it came from, all the while emitting a disturbing sound that resembled a computer malfunctioning.

Suddenly, the sky reverts back to its original blue. All is silent in the crowd as everybody lets the information we were just given sink in.

A girl in the crowd begins to scream. As if on cue, everybody erupts into a frenzy. At least, almost everybody. A few of us simply stand there. Looking through the crowd, I spot a player with short black hair grab another player with pink hair by the wrist and drag him away. _Don't tell me... Was that Klein and.. Kirito?_

"I've had enough of this crap. Come on, let's go." Fujimaki says, and begins to walk away. The five of us follow him, unsure of what else to do.

_These people are alive. Everything I've seen here confirms that. We, on the other hand, are dead. We're like ghosts. So what do we do? Should we just get ourselves killed ingame and get the hell out of here? If what he said is true, we'll die. But even so, we'll just come back a little while later, right? Then, does that mean we'll be able to come back?_

"I have an idea." I tell my companions once I'm sure that nobody is around.

"What is it, Otonashi?" Hinata asks.

"We haven't really done much here. We could just go back to the Afterlife by dying, right? So, let's just kill ourselves now and come back later. After all, we have a lot to tell Yuri." I propose.

"Sounds like a plan. The NerveGear'll fry our brain, but we'll be fine anyways, right? Right?" Ooyama says.

"In that case, Ooyama and I found a great place on the edge of Floor 1 where we could jump off." Fujimaki tells us.

"In that case, let's go. I want to get the hell out of here." Hinata says.

"I can still hardly believe that we're so used to dying like this." I sigh.

* * *

**A few months later..**

Kuro's POV:

"I wonder if this game has any Easter Eggs." Kokisei wonders aloud as she flops back on her tavern bed across from me.

"I don't really think that Kayaba is the kind of guy that puts that kind of stuff in." Shiroe says, sitting down next to Kokisei. "But even so, I wouldn't doubt it."

_Easter Eggs? I think... No, we're they? I don't even know if you would call those people Easter Eggs... They're more like..._

"Ghosts." I say aloud.

"Ghosts? Th-there are g-ghosts in this game!?" Kanta stutters. "I hate ghosts!"

"You bet your ass there are. I was actually friends with some of them. They act like real players, and they even have a main menu like the rest of us. You could never tell that they're any different. That is, until you see them die." I begin my story of those six players. "You see, if a ghost dies, they'll disappear, _poof_, just like any player. Thing is, if you travel to the Town of Beginnings, you'll see them again. You would easily recognize them, and they'll know you. So far, there are only six ghosts confirmed. And _I'm_ lucky enough to know what they look like!"

"What _do_ they look like?" Kokisei asks, clearly engrossed in my story. She and Shiroe are sitting on the edge of the bed, close to each other. _Hehehe. They clearly like each other. I wonder when they'll get together. I better get on with the story._

"One of them has orange hair and brown eyes. Another has black hair and wields a rare Shirasaya-looking sword. He is always seen with another ghost, who often acts shy and has short reddish-brown hair. Another has ocean-blue hair that looks like it hasn't been cut in a while. Another can easily be notices by his slightly-spikey purple hair and his Legendary-level Halberd. Last, but definitely not least, is the only girl among them. She is the third fastest player in all of SAO, behind the Black Swordsman and the Flash. She has long black hair, a black scarf, and hypnotic hazel eyes. Like the other two fast players, she has a nickname. Hers is 'Shadow'." I explain to them.

"I think... Maybe I've seen them somewhere before." Shiroe tells us.

"N-no, don't say that! This has to be fake, right? Right? I mean, it could just be a mistake, right!?" Kanta quivers, grabbing the bed's blanket out from under me and covering herself in it.

"No, they're real. I've talked to them. They asked me these weird questions about death and the Afterlife. I'm not even joking. There are _ghosts_ in SAO." I tell my guildmates. "I can tell you guys all about my experiences with them."

"I think I'm in the mood for a good story. I don't really feel tired, I mean." Kokisei says.

"Yeah, what better way to pass the time, right?" Shiroe agrees.

"I can think of plenty..." Kanta says.

"Kanta, it's just one story. You'll be fine." I try my best to comfort the short red-haired girl as she tries her best to cover herself in the tavern's blanket.

She pokes her head out from under the blanket. "A-alright. If it's just one story, then I guess it's okay."

"Alright! Let's begin!" I clap my hands together, signifying the start of my story. "It all started a few days after this death game started..."

* * *

**This chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy, so I don't know if it's as good as the first chapter. Even so, I hope you enjoyed it! I don't really have much to say in terms of what to put in this after-the-chapter section here, but hell, I think plenty of you skip this part anyways. In any case, don't forget to leave a review!**


	3. Aching Heads & Suicide

**Author's Note: **There are few things that the authors of fanfiction would rather see on the internet than to watch their story gain popularity! Thanks for the support, and here's to future chapters! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review if you haven't already!

**Aching Heads & Suicide**

_Where am I? Ah crap, my head hurts like hell..._

I open my eyes, only to be greeted by a plain white ceiling. Realizing that this particular ceiling belongs to the Afterlife High School's infirmary, I sit up and look around. _I'm back? How'd I get here again? The last place I was at was..._

I recall the events that happened to me prior to ending up here. I remember the tedious process of joining SAO, our realization about its people...

... And how the developer of SAO said that they were trapped...

... And also how we simply left with the thought in mind that we're an exception to that rule.

_By the looks of it, it seems we're right._ To my left are Ooyama and Fujimaki, both of them on sick beds much like mine. Looking to my right, I see Shiina, Hinata, and Noda, all three of them in the same situation.

I sit up and try to get out of my bed, but as soon as I put weight on my feet, I collapse onto the cold linoleum floor.

_What the hell? It's... It's almost like I've forgotten how to walk. Come on, one step at a time._

"Hey, don't push yourself!" Yuri tells me, rushing in through the hallway door to me.

"Oh, how ya doin', Yurippe?" Hinata says, ignoring the fact that he's in pain. Only an idiot would think he's okay after seeing the bandage around his head as well as the way he struggles to sit up.

"You stay down too, idiot!" Yuri snaps.

"Woah, what the hell's all the commotion?" Fujimaki groans, looking over at us with a tired, sluggish look. "Woah, did I wake up to something? I didn't know you had a thing with Otonashi. Come to think of it, you did look at him funny during our last trip to the guild." He says nonchalantly, probably noticing how Yuri has her arms on me while I'm on the floor.

"Oh, shut up Fujimaki!" Yuri exclaims, hurling a nearby medical tool at him, which barely misses his forehead.

"DID I HEAR SOMEONE HAS A THING WITH MY YURIPPE!?" Exclaims Noda, who appears to have stumbled out of his bed, halberd in hand. He raises it, probably intending to kill me (like he did when I first arrived here, mind you). Before he can bring it down on me (and Yuri too, it seems), he collapses to the ground in a fashion very similar to the way I did: like he simply forgot how to stand on his own two feet.

Yuri lets go of me and stands up to face everyone, who have woken up by now. "You idiots! That damn NerveGear fried part of your brain! It's no wonder you can't walk or think straight!"

"Oh yeah, that Kayaba guy said something about that..." Hinata says.

"He did say it would happen if we died ingame." I point out.

"Died ingame? What're you talking about?" Yuri asks.

"Oh, right, we didn't tell you about what happened when we put on the NerveGears yet. Well, I, am, prepared, to, give, a, full,_ report!_" Fujimaki says, trying to get out of bed as well as speaking at the same time. However, he meets the same fate as Noda and I, immediately faceplanting on the floor as soon as he finishes his sentence. "On second thought I think I'll just stay down here..."

"Takeyama tried to hack into your Nervegears to keep track of what happened. But even he couldn't bypass the firewall that it had." Yuri explains. "We couldn't tell if it worked or not, so when your brains were fried, we thought it failed." _Is that a hint of worry in her voice? I can't really tell from her facial expressions, but it's good to know that she cares, at least._ "In any case, I expect a full report when you're all fully healed."

Once everyone climbs back into bed, each of us promise Yuri that we won't get out of it until we're fully recovered. She leaves us there, with no hint as to what we should do in the meantime.

Hinata stares out the window at the NPCs playing sports while Ooyama and Fujimaki play with some cards they found in a drawer next to them. Noda fiddles with his halberd while Shiina attempts to balance some rather sharp scalpels she found above her head. After a moment, however, Shiina loses concentration and the scalpels fall, barely missing her head.

_That's really unlike her to lose focus like that. I guess the part of our brain that was fried was the motor cortex, since that controls the majority of our movements as well as concentration. Wait, how do I know that?_

After what feels like forever (which was actually just two hours judging by the clock), I try to stand up again. To my relief, I'm able to despite feeling a little bit nauseous.

"Hey guys, you should be able to get outta bed now." I inform my fellow patients.

The five of them get out of bed, each at their own pace. While Noda stumbles a bit, he manages to use his halberd as a makeshift (albeit oversized) walking cane. Though Shiina initially shows no sign of struggle, I can tell by the pained yet determined look in her eye that she's in the same condition as the rest of us.

"Y'know, I think it's obvious that... that we aren't in any condition to be moving around too much. Let's just... Let's just try our best to walk around here before leaving the room." Fujimaki proposes, to which we all agree. _He looks like he was having trouble speaking..._

After a while, the six of us fully regain our balance and are able to walk down the hallway without much of a problem. Before I realize it, we find ourselves in front of Headquarters.

"Has it gotten this late already?" Ooyama asks, looking out the window. Indeed, the full moon is shining bright in the night sky, illuminating the whole campus with moonlight.

Hinata knocks on the door, to which comes an immediate reply.

"Password?" Yuri asks from inside.

"There is no God, Buddha, or Angel." Hinata replies.

A moment later, Yuri tells us that it's ok to open the door. We do so, only to find that everyone else in the SSS with the exception of Takeyama and Yuri aren't in the room.

"Where _is_ everyone?" I ask.

"Either sleeping or doing whatever else." Yuri says bluntly. "I only called Takeyama here on the account that everyone else in the SSS is unrelated to the Operation."

"This was an Operation?" Ooyama asks.

"I thought we were just trying to see if it worked..." Hinata says.

"How shallow-minded..."

"Of course it was an Operation! Anyways, do you guys have a report ready?" She asks.

"Oh! Yeah, we do." I tell our leader.

"Alright, then." Yuri replies.

All of us take a seat, except for Hinata, who's going to present the report. After clearing his throat, he stands between us and Yuri, who has taken a seat in her chair, and begins speaking.

During the report, he basically summarizes everything that happened to us upon activation of the NerveGear, from the account creation to Kayaba Akihiko. Every few sentences, he clears his throat, which I find a little strange.

".. In short, we have concluded that the NerveGear as well as Sword Art Online are, in fact, connected to the world of the living. *ahem* However, one main problem still stands: While entering the game shows no particular difficulty, leaving the game requires actual death. While we would eventually heal, it was made painfully obvious earlier that the healing process is not complete by the time we regain consciousness. As a matter of fact, we experience symptoms such as extreme nausea, headaches, loss of balance, and lack of coordination. *ahem* That is all." As he takes a seat next to me, Yuri begins speaking.

"I see. Using the NerveGear, we can access an online game where thousands of living people are trapped. We don't know how _God_ will react to us finding this, or even if he put it there himself, but I think it's worth investigating further. But I can't have you guys going through the pain of death so many times in a row. For the time being, I'll gather some of the engineers in the Guild as well as Takeyama to find a way to stop the NerveGear from frying your brain." Yuri decides. "Just hang around for the time being until they've succeeded in doing so. You're dismissed!"

* * *

_**Earlier, back in SAO..**  
_

As we walk on the dirt road, I can't help but notice that it's sunset.

"Hey Hinata, wasn't it about noon when we left the Town of Beginnings?" I ask my blue-haired friend.

He takes a look at the sun, realizing the same thing I am. "Yeah, it was. Hey Fujimaki, how far did you and Ooyama actually _get__, _anyways?"

"Oh, yeah, I think we made it somewhere close to the second city." He explains further. "Some guys who were in that beta test from before this game was released told us that it's worth getting there as soon as possible. By the way, the place has a ledge that leads off the map where we can jump off."

On the way, we run into a few boars and some wolves. They weren't much of a challenge, however, since we have an army of six.

"I can't have these little bastards kill me even once. If I'm going to die by anything, I'd be by a worthy opponent." Noda comments upon killing a wolf.

"You do know that we're going to die by jumping off the map, right?" I remind him.

"Oh, yeah." He replies, sheathing his halberd. "That too."

Eventually, we arrive at the town. Immediately, Fujimaki and Ooyama lead us in the direction of the ledge where we'll jump off.

As we exit a rather dark alleyway, a voice calls from to my right.

"Hey you!" I immediately recognize that voice as Kuro, the black-haired player that Hinata and I spoke to upon entering Sword Art Online. "I had you guys pegged as noobs. Didn't think you'd have that big of a party already!"

We turn around and are met by a lone player with grown-out black hair only slightly shorter than Hinata's.

"Is that..." Hinata mumbles.

"Oh, hey Kuro." Ooyama calls out, waving at him.

"You know this guy?" I ask him.

Fujimaki nods. "He was the beta tester who told us to come here."

Kuro approaches us, realizing that he knows more people in our group than he initially thought. "Just so you know, there isn't anything useful over there. Come with me, I know a cheap merchant shop and a tavern where we can sleep while we sort everything out."

_That's strange,_ I think to myself. _It doesn't seem like he's too emotionally shocked by this. I mean, we aren't either, but he isn't like us._ I push that thought aside for the time being.

"We don't need any of that. We're getting out of here." Fujimaki tells our black-haired comrade.

"W-what do you mean?" Kuro asks.

"We're _leaving SAO!"_ Fujimaki replies sternly.

Kuro's eyes widen in shock, realizing what we're about to do. "W-what!? Why?! I know our situation is bad, but it's no reason to do that!"

"Look, kid, you don't have any business butting in with us. This is our choice to make. Let. Us. Make. It." Noda commands. Kuro, clearly shocked, falls to his knees, saying nothing.

We begin to walk away, but I manage to hear some of his mumbling.

_"They don't know what death is like. Right. Isn't it my duty, with that knowledge, to warn people about it? I'm so sorry, Satomi. I failed again..."_

For a moment, I think he's like us. But once again, I push that thought to the side with the idea that he would know who we were if he _was_ one of us.

Leaving him there, collapsed in the middle of the street, I continue walking with the rest of my group.

Moments later, we arrive at a clearing with an amazing view, as well as stone fences blocking the players from falling. In all honesty, they look far too pompous for what they are: fences.

The six of us climb up on the stone fence, ready to jump at any given moment. A slight wind has begun to blow at this point.

"Hey Fujimaki." I grab the attention of my comrade.

"Yeah?" He replies.

"This really is your kind of place, isn't it?" I ask him.

Fujimaki thinks for a moment before replying. "You know what? It sure as hell is."

Just as we're about to fall, I hear Kuro yelling in the backround.

**"STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! NO! WAIT!"** his words remind me of an animal giving its last scream before dying at the hands of a predator. Ironic considering our position.

And as if his words were our cue, we fall off of Aincrad to the endless sky below.

* * *

_**One Week Later, still in SAO...**_

_Kuro's POV:_

_Damnit, the day that girl finally decides to leave the town of beginnings, and she just HAS to pick somewhere else to meet up at other than the town of beginnings?_ I mentally groan as I look around for Kanta, a squeamish redhead that I knew in real life. Initially, the plan was for me to show her the ropes in SAO in hopes that it'll cure her childish fears.

Giving up, I turn around and begin walking away. However, something stops me in my tracks.

Among the crowd of noobs who are far too scared to leave level 1, there are six that stand out.

A flash of orange hair is what initially caught my eye, but then I see a halberd, as well as long midnight black hair. I wouldn't mistake them for anyone else, despite the short time we spent together.

I immediately forget what I was initially doing and run towards them, as fast as I can.

* * *

**Yay!~ Another chapter done and more progression in the storyline! In all honesty, I never initially had any interest in expanding Kuro's part in the _Ghosts of SAO_ story, but I thought that having an OC would really "spice" things up a bit! Other than that, feel free to tell me what you think about the story and what should happen next, either by PM'ing me or leaving a review! Speaking of that, don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**_-Regards and all that, SEP_**


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